SSUSD appeal hearing set for February 2013

The Office of Public School Construction/State Allocation Board will conduct a hearing on the Sierra Sands Unified School District’s geographic-index appeal in February 2013.At stake is millions of dollars in reimbursement money for construction projects performed during the past four years.

The Office of Public School Construction/State Allocation Board will conduct a hearing on the Sierra Sands Unified School District’s geographic-index appeal in February 2013.

At stake is millions of dollars in reimbursement money for construction projects performed during the past four years.

Reporting to the Superintendent’s Council Wednesday, Construction Management Consultant Bruce Auld said he delivered the district’s appeal documentation to Sacramento last week.

He said the district gets a 5-percent bump up in funding for construction costs over areas such as Bakersfield, but the actual costs far exceed the 5-percent bump.

“We know it’s more like 30 to 35 percent,” Auld said. “We have an official appeal before the State Allocation Board in February. Now we’re starting to lobby the members of the board. We’re asking for a 30-percent bump up.”

During his presentation, he said the district paid approximately $52,000 in hotel bills for contractors during the Las Flores Elementary School modernization project.

Auld also showed council members a map showing the location of the district and the locations of the contractors used for modernization projects.

“The preponderance of the contractors for all of our projects come from the south with a little bit from Bakersfield and a little bit from Lancaster,” he said. “You can commute from Lancaster or Palmdale fairly well. Once you get into Bakersfield and the Inland Empire, you get a big drop in productivity if you’re commuting. What we’re trying to do is make policy from common sense. Our experience is that it is not easily done.”